The kingdom of Jordan, implementing a decision by King Hussein to sever its ties to the West Bank, will cut off all funds and relinquish all responsibility for government services in the Israeli-occupied territories, senior Jordanian sources said Monday. The decision, disclosed one day after Hussein announced he was ceding Jordan's claims to the West Bank to the Palestine Liberation Organization, was expected to deal a severe economic blow to the territory's 850,000 Arab inhabitants.

The government of Jordan will continue to spend nearly $10 million a year on a foundation in charge of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and the Israeli-held West Bank, an official said Wednesday. Abdulaziz Khayyat, minister of religious affairs, said that Jordan is still committed to the Waqf religious foundation and its nearly 2,500 employees, despite King Hussein's July 31 decision to sever legal and administrative ties with the West Bank.

Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi said his country will pay the salaries of former employees of Jordan in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Radio Monte Carlo reported Thursday. Libya "announces through your radio station that it will take the responsibility of paying the salaries," Kadafi told the radio's Paris-based Arabic-language service. He estimated the cost at about $1 million a month.

Libyan leader Moammar Kadafi said his country will pay the salaries of former employees of Jordan in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Radio Monte Carlo reported Thursday. Libya "announces through your radio station that it will take the responsibility of paying the salaries," Kadafi told the radio's Paris-based Arabic-language service. He estimated the cost at about $1 million a month.

The Jordanian government announced Thursday that it is dismissing or retiring nearly all of the more than 23,000 civil servants and teachers that it employs in the West Bank, a move in line with King Hussein's decision to sever the kingdom's ties to the Israeli-occupied territory.

The government of Jordan will continue to spend nearly $10 million a year on a foundation in charge of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and the Israeli-held West Bank, an official said Wednesday. Abdulaziz Khayyat, minister of religious affairs, said that Jordan is still committed to the Waqf religious foundation and its nearly 2,500 employees, despite King Hussein's July 31 decision to sever legal and administrative ties with the West Bank.

The Jordanian government announced Thursday that it is dismissing or retiring nearly all of the more than 23,000 civil servants and teachers that it employs in the West Bank, a move in line with King Hussein's decision to sever the kingdom's ties to the Israeli-occupied territory.

The kingdom of Jordan, implementing a decision by King Hussein to sever its ties to the West Bank, will cut off all funds and relinquish all responsibility for government services in the Israeli-occupied territories, senior Jordanian sources said Monday. The decision, disclosed one day after Hussein announced he was ceding Jordan's claims to the West Bank to the Palestine Liberation Organization, was expected to deal a severe economic blow to the territory's 850,000 Arab inhabitants.